Mr Maybe
by nhannah
Summary: Botan decides that she needs something to live for in life and unwillingly accepts Keiko's plans for matchmaking. As Botan takes on various men, will she realize that the perfect man is right in front of her eyes? [HieixBotan]
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello again and thank you so much for deciding to check out my latest pride and joy, "Mr Maybe" (trumpets resound in the background)! **_

_**This is honestly my first non-oneshot take on a romantic comedy. I know the idea is a little cliché and all, but please, bare with me; I'll try to add as much twists and turns as possible.**_

_**This is, of course, another Hiei/Botan fic because I, frankly, cannot get enough of them. I don't know what suddenly gave me the idea of writing this, and I think my muse came from staring too long at a cup of steaming hot Japanese tea.**_

_**Anyways, enough of my senseless rambling. Read, Enjoy and...**_

_**REVIEW!

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**Mr Maybe**

_Chapter One_

'That hit the spot!' muttered Botan as she carefully stepped out of the bathroom. Wrapped only in a soft, feathery blue towel, the pretty deity decided to let her soaking blue hair down, feeling wonderful after a warm shower.

Botan stretched, careful that her towel would not slip. It had definitely been a long day, and the poor ferry onna had been drained completely out of energy. She had used most of it up on a dying soul. It wasn't required that she do so, of course. She was only there to collect. But the beautiful onna could not help put feel a tang of pity towards the tortured spirit, as she hovered over it's broken shell of a body, watching with wide, terror-stricken pink eyes.

'Koenma-sama should seriously give me a break once in a while,' grumbled the pink-eyed deity to herself, as she stripped off her damp towel and wrung it to the side. 'I'll probably die of exhaustion.'

Botan blinked at her previous words; letting it sink a little as she grinned bitterly at the irony; as a Deity of Death, Botan was obviously all ready dead, and although staying up long hours and carrying on without the basic life necessities were all good and fine, Botan couldn't help but surrender to the constant thought that lingered in her mind... the temptation to finally throw in the towel and lay to rest, for good this time, troubled her continuously as she carried on her day-to-day ritual.

'I suppose what I need to do is find something to look forward to in life,' muttered Botan softly, as she now lay, fully clothed in pale green pyjamas, staring wistfully at the silver alarm clock by her bed. Botan yawned, snuggling deeper beneath her white sheets for warmth. Eyelids slowly drooping over her cotton-candy coloured irises, the last thing the sweet ferry woman remembered before allowing sleep to overwhelm her, was the dire need to unleash herself from this tiring shell of a body.

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'Oh, Yukina, it's just lovely!' squealed Botan, as she gently squeezed the frail hand of the young, innocent Ice Apparation. 'And you say Kazuma gave it to you?'

'Yes,' replied Yukina, looking somewhat proud and wistful at the same time as she fingered the delicate petals of her wondorous rose. 'He... he seemed very serious about it...'

'Oooh, Yukina, I am so proud of you!' squealed Botan with much enthusiasm as she embraced the koorime in a warm hug. 'I bet he wants to take your relationship to the next level! You lucky kid, you!'

Yukina's fair cheeks flushed a lovely shade of deep pink as she returned the warm embrace. 'Thank you, Botan-chan. Your encouragement towards our relationship has helped a lot!'

Keiko giggled softly in the corner of Genkai's large open living room, before sipping her Japanese tea and sighing dreamily. 'I remember when Yusuke first proposed,' she said, eyes softening quite obviously. 'It was at my father's restaurant... it wasn't exactly the most romantic of locations to be asked such a question... but, oh... when I looked into his eyes! It was just as perfect as I'd imagined it be!'

Shizuru grinned as she played with the solid gold heart-shaped pendant hanging delicately by a fine silver chain. Her hard brown eyes softened a little. 'Kurama and I have been dating for a while now...' she started. '... but I think he's starting to show signs that he wants something more, as well. There were many hints that he wants to... start on the question.'

Botan giggled at all three of her friends, but shut up completely at the sly looks she was getting from Keiko all of the sudden.

'What about you, Botan?' piped the brunette eagerly. 'You haven't told us a thing about your love interest.'

Botan swallowed a lump in her throat and managed a casual, albeit somewhat nervous little laugh, 'Of course I didn't, silly! Its because I don't _have _a love interest!'

The rest of the girls blinked, their undivided attention on the blue-haired deity.

'You mean...?' started Shizuru, looking thoughtfully at Botan as though trying to contemplate what she was saying. 'But I always thought that you and Koenma...?'

Botan went into a frenzy of abrupt coughs, her cheeks glowing a brilliant shade of deep crimson. 'E-excuse me?' she managed to stutter out at last. The ferry girl had the sudden urge to sink her heated face in a barrel of ice. 'Me and Koenma-sama have got nothing but a proffesional relationship going on!'

Keiko's brown eyes twinkled, catching on to the blush on Botan's face. 'Of course not, Botan-chan,' she said slowly. 'But don't you ever... you know... wish you could be in a relationship...? Aren't you ever bored?'

'Well...' said Botan, suddenly taking a great interest in her fingernails. 'I, umm, have been in a relationship _once_, but that was a very long time ago. And besides, as a ferry girl, it is not necessary for me to find a life partner, considering, of course, that I am pretty much dead.'

Botan's cheeks, if possible, flared even brighter after her embarassing little statement. She stood up suddenly, not enjoying the fact that she was todays main picking; her sudden movement causing the tea kettle to fly into the air and land onto the temple floor.

'Oops!' cried Botan faintly, as she did her best to dab the liquid off the floor with the sleeves of her pink kimono. 'Oh no...' she added once she had realized that her useless attempt in fixing the situation was only making it worse.

'Don't worry, Botan-chan,' said Yukina gently as she reached for an old rag and expertly wiped the mess off the floor. 'This happens all the time.'

'Oh, thank you, Yukina,' said Botan as she bowed as a sign of apology and rose to her feet with cherry-coloured complexion. 'I'm sorry that my presence here today was nothing but a nuisance to you, but for now I must bid farewell.' Botan bowed again as a sign of respect as she summoned her oar and swung both legs over the arm of the wooden contraption. 'May Enma have mercy on me... I'm late for work!'

And with that, the frantic ferry girl kicked her toes against the floor and took flight, her delicate figure growing smaller and smaller until she was nothing more than a speck in the clear blue sky.

At her sudden panic-stricken leave, the ferry onna had not noticed the sly smirk that now took to Keiko's lips.

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Lol. How was that for a first chapter? I'm not going to kick myself down and say it sucks or anything, so I'll leave that to you:) _**

_**Please review and tell me what you think! Flames are NOT accepted, but I do tolerate good, mindful constructive critisism. Your honesty means everything to me so please REVIEW.**_

_**PS; I will not continue this fic if the reviews seem too few for me. Perhaps, if you ASK nice enough I will decide to give you the next chapter. Please leave your comments via review.**_

_**Thanks!**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Wo! It took me a while to finally get to updating this thing. My original idea was to wait until I got as much reviews as my fic, "Natural Blue", but seeing as how that won't seem to happen, I've decided to update now anyways. It took me only an hour and three minutes to complete this chapter, so I hope it turns out all right._**

_**Anyways, I dedicate this chapter to my good friend, a fellow authoress and HB shipper on Fanfiction. A big round of applause to one of my favourite authors, Cafinatedangel13, which of whom I was unable to review due to the slow linkage of my internet connection. Thanks a bunch!**_

_**That said, please, REVIEW! (PS; thanks also to everyone else that reviewed this fic!)

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**Mr Maybe**

_Chapter Two_

The distressed ferry girl arrived in her boss' office moments after her flight. Her pink eyes were brimming with desperation and worry and her sky-blue hair, kept in its usual lopsided ponytail, was dissheveled and unkept as she bounded through the great doors of Koenma's office.

'Koenma-sama, I am so sorry!' gushed Botan frantically as she dunked her head as low to the floor as possible as a sign of great apology. 'I... I lost track of the time, and...'

With a lazy wave of his stubby hand, Botan's useless blabbering ceased. 'That's okay,' said the Prince of Rekai from behind large stacks of messily organized papers. 'Just make sure you don't do it again. Oh, and I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine, Kakeshi.'

Botan's eyes moved to a young man she had never seen before, as though just noticing his presence in the room. Pink eyes widened prefusely as she realized that the said "Kakeshi", was, indeed, very attractive – he had bangs of dirty-blonde hair that fell over his dark, studying eyes, and he wore a very charming smile as he greeted her for the first time.

'And what, might I ask, is your name, sweet maiden?' asked Kakeshi as he ran his fingers through his dirty-blonde hair with an air of vain arrogance. Botan could do nothing but watch in awe as the bangs of his hair fell perfectly back in place.

'B-Botan..., sir,' stuttered the ferry girl, blushing a deep shade of pink inspite of her efforts to act casual.

'Botan. As in the flower?' enquired Kakeshi.

Botan nodded hastily, trying to prevent the blush from rising.

Kakeshi bowed, taking her slender hand in his own and brushing it with a light kiss. 'It is a pleasure to meet you.'

Botan, if possible, turned even redder as she looked up to find her boss chuckling. Her pink eyes pleaded to Koenma, as if begging him for help.

'Ahem,' said Koenma, getting out of his reverie for more serious matters. He waved a hand in the air, as though motioning for Kakeshi's attention. 'Less pressing matters aside; Botan... Kakeshi here has reported a very worrying theft. I need you to start filing this right away, since Ayame has so... eagerly... chosen this time for a vacation.'

'Wish I would've thought of that,' grumbled Botan under her breath.

'What was that?' the Prince inquired, looking up from a list of jobs she was required to do.

'Nothing... nothing!' replied Botan hastily, doing her best to correct her mistake.

Luckily, Koenma held no suspicion, and his slitted eyes sunk back down to the list in hand. 'And I also need you to do some paperwork on he case... and try to look up on the robbers... and, oh, yeah, not to forget your daily rounds; there are about thirty-seven more deaths to cover in Tokyo itself.'

Botan did not try to supress the anguish in her voice as she groaned openly. 'All right, Koenma-sama,' she said, even though she'd rather be scourging the Makai wilderness instead of being cooped up with an armful of paperwork. 'Will that be all?'

'Yep!' replied Koenma, thrusting the list in Botan's flailing arms. 'For now, of course. I'll buzz you if I need anything!'

Botan bit her tongue. It took so much will-power just to drag her feet out of the office. The poor, over-worked ferry girl groaned inwardly as she made her way back to her own department – looking a lot less than eager to get started.

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That night, Botan returned home to her apartment with a lot more in her hands than usual. She struggled with the keys to her apartment door, and was more than shocked when she found that it had been unlocked.

'_Surely I had locked up this morning?' _thought Botan as she frantically pushed her weight against the door and burst through.

Wide, worried eyes scanned her living room for any sign of an unwanted entrance. There was nothing. Everything was where it should be.

Botan sighed, blaming her fear for paranoia and stress. She dumped her keys on the small, glass-topped dining table, along with her paperwork and oar and made her way lazily into her bedroom.

Feeling weary, the poor ferry girl didn't even bother to undress as she slipped off her cloth slippers, stripped off her dirt-coated socks, and sunk into bed.

Just as those weary pink eyes were about to fall under heavy eyelids, however, a shadow stepped out of the corner; Botan rose from slumber as the shadow made it's presence known.

'H-Hiei?' Botan hardly managed to exclaim.

Crimson eyes dug through her senses as he eyed her in a most nonchalant manner. 'Hn,' he muttered simply, sinking into one of the empty chairs in her room.

Botan blinked, rubbing her eyes from any sleep that had been there. Was this an illusion? Stress beckoning her to the "Eternal Slumber"? A trick of the light, perhaps? Botan didn't know. What she did know, however, was that she never ever immagined someone of likes of _him _to even be in her room.

'What do you want?' Botan didn't mean to sound rude; if she did, it was only because she was tired. Her body had been over-worked and was practically begging for some rest.

'Hn,' said Hiei, as he drew his eyes from studying her room, to the ferry onna in front of him instead. He just stared at her for a long time, watching as she squirmed uneasily under his hard eyes. Finally, the feared koorime spoke: 'Yukina is engaged.'

Botan stopped squirming to glare hard at him: _Is this what its all about? He barged into my home without an invitation JUST to tell me this?_

'Yes, I know that,' she snapped grumpily. She ran a free hand through her messy hair, suddenly feeling cautious about her appearance in front of the all-seeing koorime.

'Its with the oaf,' grumbled Hiei, fury glinting in his deep, crimson orbs. 'The Detective mentioned something about you having something to do with it.'

_Oh! So that's what this is about!_

Botan knew how protective Hiei can get when he it was around the topic of his precious sister. She knew the consequences beforehand when she had first decided to lend a hand in getting the two together. Even so, the ferry onna had been stern with her beliefs.

'So what?' snapped Botan defiantly as she wrapped her arms over her chest. She was completely aware of what his reaction might be. She was ready to summon her oar if he chose to strike. 'Yukina is happy about it! I'm surprised that's not what you want!'

Hiei's eyes widened a fraction, as though struck by her harsh words; then reverted back to its original form – hard, cold, and devoid of any emotion whatsoever. 'I never said I was unhappy about it, onna.'

'Then?' asked Botan impatiently. _Can't he speed this up? Its all ready 2am and work starts early!_

'I just wanted to know why you chose... _Kuwabara.'_

The way he had said Kuwabara's name was like he had been spitting out poison. Botan felt a little sad for her dear friend, and chose this moment to stand up for him.

'He really isn't that bad if you gave him a shot, Hiei,' explained Botan gently, careful not to anger him even further. 'Besides, he really does seem to love her.'

'Hn,' said Hiei, eyes darting away. It seemed he had chosen to accept that explaination for now. 'You better be sure of it, onna, because if he hurts her, I'll not hesitate to kill you.'

Botan managed a chuckle as she dug deeper into her sheets. 'Yeah, sure,' she said in between a weary yawn. 'And you'll marry me if it works out, right?' the ferry girl chuckled some more, eyelids falling shut. 'I'll be sure to remember that.'

As Botan fell asleep, she had once again failed to notice the drastic change in Hiei's posture; as he stood, back stiff and crimson orbs wide with deep astonishment, as she had so carelessly joked about how he'd marry her if the couple managed to work out.

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_**There you go, again. How'd you like? I know it isn't much, and I'm so, SO sorry to have to drag an OC into the plot – but don't worry. His scene in the fic isn't very important anyways.**_

_**Well, I know there isn't much chemistry going on between the two main characters here, but I promise you, I'll try my best to work it out – just as long as you promise me your reviews.**_

_**Anyways, that's it for now; You know the drill: No reviews? No next chapter. So...**_

_**REVIEW!!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Ladies and Gentlemen, Readers of all ages, get ready for the suckiest chapter so far.**_

_**I'm so sorry this didn't turn out as good as the other two, but my mind was so... GAH... when typing this, that it ended up all gross.**_

_**Ewww. Anyways, enough of my senseless rambling.**_

_**Review, please!**_

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**Mr Maybe**

_Chapter Three_

Hiei flitted from the ferry girl's room, his small, dark figure casting a long shadow whenver he passed beneath street lights, or managed to find himself beneath the deep glow of the pale, half-moon.

'Baka ferry onna,' he muttered as he ran passed a couple of bewildered humans. His deep red eyes narrowed in irritation as a cool breeze swept back his onyx hair. 'Making dumb assumptions.'

Hiei ran and ran until he wound up right where he wanted to be; on the thick branch of his favourite tree. The dark koorime released a breath of contempt, inspite of having just run for about twelve miles. His crimson orbs lingered around his surroundings, and finally paused when he saw the faint twinkle of a light far behind the mountains.

Settling himself against the bark, his mind wandered to where his twin sister lay – and he hoped that whatever she was doing, she was contempt with it.

Hiei's rough fingers gently brushed against the hilt of the katana that rested by his hip. Feeling somewhat safer, the crimson eyes glazed over, and in a matter of moments, the koorime was fast asleep.

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'Is it just me or is it stuffy in here?' Kazuma Kuwabara loudly exclaimed as he tugged at his collar for the twelfth time. 'Kurama, would you mind opening the window?'

'Don't worry, Kuwabara. I'm sure its just a case of the nerves,' said Kurama kindly, as he pushed open the windows nonetheless. His green eyes closed over as a gentle breeze swept the red locks out of his eyes. Kurama inhaled deeply, savouring the scent of cool air.

'Yeah, Kuwabara,' piped Yusuke, the cocky ex-Spirit Detective, as he suddenly managed to wrap an arm around his best friend's neck and pull him into a headlock from behind. Ruffling his friend's freshly combed orange hair, he continued, 'Just look how married life has been treatin' me! I've got to handle that witch, Keiko, 24/7, and I still managed to survive didn't I? Quit worrying so much, damnit!'

Kuwabara hastily pushed the ex-Spirit Detective off of him, and frowned into the mirror. 'Urameshi! Now look what you've done!' he cried, desperately reaching for a jar of hair gel to dunk his messy hair in. 'Now I'll look terrible in front of my Yukina!'

Yusuke chuckled out loud. 'Too late, Kuwabara!' he exclaimed. 'Even with the hair gel, you all ready did!'

It took a while for the joke to sink in, and when it finally did, the two best friends suddenly found themselves in another immature brawl.

It was at that particular moment that Hiei decided to slip in.

'Hiei!' said Kurama, a look of pleasant surprise sweeping his face. 'I didn't expect you'd join us.'

Hiei gave the fox a dark look that obviously meant he didn't want to be here. Feeling peeved, the short koorime slid into one of the empty seats in the room.

'Shorty!' Kuwabara suddenly cried, as he struggled out of Yusuke's grasp. 'Didn't think you'd show up – then again, you've always had an eye on my Yukina!'

Hiei growled, but his movement to pounce on the oaf's head and rip his freshly ironed tuxedo to shreds was held back by the fox.

_Baka ningen_. How oblivious could a guy possibly get? How could the oaf possibly think that he thought of Yukina as... the mere thought of it made him want to vomit.

'I guess the best man won, huh?' said Kuwabara proudly, as he puffed out his chest in attempt to bask in his own self-praise. 'Hey, where's your suit anyways?'

Hiei wrapped his arms over his chest and faced the opposite direction. 'Hn,' he said, his deep, crimson orbs flaring beneath the bangs of his black hair and sweat-band. 'If you think I'd come in that stupid ningen outfit, you've got another thing coming, oaf!' he spat.

Yusuke chuckled, as he blocked a fuming Kuwabara from doing anything stupid. 'Just drop it, Kuwabara,' he said good-humouredly. 'I doubt our little french-fry over here would rent a tux even if it was his own wedding!'

Suddenly, from up above the ex-Tantei, a great, polished grand clock struck 10am. The mere ring of the bell caused several different reactions between the group; with Kuwabara, it was an immediate desperate frenzy, his nervous fingers twitched as they ran to his neck-tie once more. Yusuke grinned as he ran a hand through his gelled hair, and lazily dusted off the excess dust from his previous fight with Kuwabara. Hiei paled slightly, and his back grew completely stiff by the sound of the clock chime. The fox merely smiled as he carefully fixed his bow-tie.

'I think its time we go,' muttered the fox as he reached for the bronze doorknob, and swung open the great oak doors with nonchalant ease. 'After you.'

Kuwabara went out first, sweating and stuttering with his vows as he walked up the isle, completely aware of the many eyes focused on him. Behind him was Yusuke, the best man, who held the ring in a velvet cushion. Kurama was next, and he elegantly made his way to the front of the isle, where Shizuru had managed to save him a seat. Finally was Hiei, as he grumpily found his way up to the closest vacant seat available.

Notes were played on the organ by a professional musician. Hiei's studying eyes lingered on the groom for a moment, before the doors at the other end of the room were swung open; his crimson eyes, along with everyone else's in the room, ran to the direction of the open door.

From behind the doors stepped out the most angelic, delicate creature Hiei had ever seen – his very own twin sister, dressed in periwinkle blue, made her way gracefully up the isle. Her aqua-coloured hair was styled in a most sophisticated twist above her head, and her natural beauty shone beneath the light dab of makeup.

Hiei's breath caught in his throat, as, for a second during her walk up the long, carpeted isle, Yukina's crimson orbs met with his own; her's were brimming with tears of happiness, and a blissful smile kept her sweet, pink lips upright.

As the vows took place, Hiei was so transfixed by his sister that he did not notice Botan, the maid of honor, slide into the seat beside him.

'Didn't I tell you it would turn out fine?' quipped the ferry girl smugly.

'Hn,' muttered Hiei, eyes still focused on the pair in front of the isle. He stared as Kuwabara reached for the ring and gently slipped it over her slender, delicate fingers as though she was made of porcelein china, and a single harsh move would cause her to break.

His eyes lingered over the two for a little while longer, until they were both told to kiss; Hiei's eyes darted away, blush rising hotly on either side of his cheeks.

Finally, the kiss was over, and Yukina happily flung a bouquet of flowers for the crowd to catch as though she was the happiest woman on earth. Hiei didn't realize what had happened until something light and soft fell into his hands – Hiei blinked. He must have caught it on instict.

'Congratulations, Hiei!' said Botan enthusiastically from beside him.

Hiei looked down in his hands – a lovely display of white lillies, red roses and yellow daffodills gazed back at him. 'Hn,' he said finally, managing to speak without a single trace of emotion. 'Here. Have it if you like.'

He thrust the bouquet into the ferry woman's hands as he lazily got up to leave in one swift movement.

'Hiei, wait!' cried Botan, catching him by the wrist.

Hiei stopped dead in his tracks. His crimson orbs widened. His back stiffened. _Was she touching him?_

Botan got up, and handed back the bouquet of beautiful flowers back into Hiei's hands. 'It was yours,' she muttered, all the while beaming. 'It isn't right if you gave it to me.'

'Hn,' replied Hiei. 'What would I need it for?'

A sweet, warm grin rose on Botan's fair face. 'According to human tradition, the person who manages to catch the flowers is the next person to get married!'

Hiei's eyes widened prefusely, and before Botan could comprehend the situation, he was gone.

Hiei flitted swiftly out of the room; his mind running back to the night Botan had carelessly joked about him agreeing to marry her if the couple managed to work out.

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_**Errrgh... (knocks head against keyboard in frustration). How sucky was THAT! Ugh. I hate it... hate it SO much!! I even ended it with the same line as my previous chapter...**_

_**Ohhh... damnit! The wedding scene was so fast and poorly described... but, oh, what the hell. I was way too lazy to get it done properly anyways.**_

_**Gah! Comment me, tell me what you think... whatever! If I get a poor amount of reviews, I might not continue this... or I'll delete the entire chapter and post in a new one.**_

_**REVIEW.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Okay. Here it is. I wrote this when my internet got busted and was unable to post it up, but now that my PC is working again, I decided to seize the oppurtunity straight away. If you checked the Hiei/Botan section of fanfiction, you'd realize that I had recently posted in a short, simple one-shot as well. Please read it. It needs as much recognition as you can possibly give.**_

_**Anyways, that's about it. I really don't wish to dilly-dally any longer. **_

_**READ AND REVIEW!

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_This chapter is dedicated to everyone nice enough to have left, or who will leave a review. Thank you so much. You make me feel like I can do something right for a change.

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**Mr Maybe**

_Chapter Four_

'Miss Botan, Lord Koenma would like to see you in his office right away,' informed Koenma's bumbling assistant, a blue-coloured ogre named George. 'He says its urgent.'

Botan sighed. It had only been four days since Kuwabara's wedding ceremony, and all ready she was up to her head in paper work. Her boss, Koenma, was of course, only making her job tougher, as, everytime she thought she was almost finished, he'd call her to his office and dump another pile of papers into her reluctant fingers.

'Oh... all right. I'm coming,' replied Botan dejectedly as she heaved her backside off the chair with as much will-power as she could possibly afford.

Feeling heavy and sore, the fair deity made her way to her boss' office. She paid no heed to the welcoming gestures and compliments headed her way by her other co-workers. Even her bright smile had managed to peel itself off her lips under the enormous stress. For the first time in centuries, poor Botan had lost the power of pure optimism, and was shocked to find herself cursing under her breath just as she reached the grand mohagony doors of Koenma's office.

The ferry girl didn't bother to knock, as she knew Koenma had been expecting her, and instead slipped in through the doors soundly.

'You rang, Koenma-sama?' inquired Botan with a sigh barely contained by her pursed lips.

'Ahh... yes, Botan!' exclaimed Koenma grandly, with an enthusiastic wave of a hand. 'Please, please, take a seat!'

Botan's eyebrows rose with sceptism; wondering what on earth her boss had planned. She had never been offered a seat in his presence before – so why the sudden change? Fearing the worst, the distressed ferry onna suddenly went into a frenzy of gushed explainations. 'Koenma-sama, if this is about the unscheduled break, I can really explain! You see, I was really thirsty, so I asked Sizuka who asked Ayumi who asked Rika and they said that I could have a short break if I...'

Once again, Koenma dismissed her senseless rambling with a nonchalant gesture of a chubby hand. 'No, no, Botan,' he explained. 'There's absolutely nothing to worry about. In fact, if anything, you should be jumping for joy right about now.'

'Joy... Sir?' repeated Botan, unsurely.

'Botan,' said Koenma. 'I've reviewed your work these past few months and have come to truly appreciate what you do here for the Spirit World. I've talked about it with Dad and he thinks you're just as ready.'

'Umm... ready, sir?'

Koenma cleared his throat importantly, and rested his clasped hands over the surface of his newly polished desk. 'Botan, what I'm trying to say is...' he started. 'You're getting a promotion!'

Botan's pink eyes sprang to life, reflecting her inner happiness. She leapt to her feet with joy and hopped up and down like a caffeined-crazed bunny. 'Koenma-sama, is this all true?' she cried, hoping her ears hadn't decieved her. If she truly had been promoted, than that would mean she would be granted the position of 'Angel' to the Heavens.

Koenma nodded, and was suddenly taken by surprise as he felt himself being lifted out of his seat and brought into the embrace of his greatest ferry girl.

Botan squealed delightedly. 'Oh, Koenma-sama! Thank you, thank you!' she gushed, squeezing the wind out of her beloved boss. 'You have no idea how long I've yearned to catch a glimpse of Heaven! Its like a dream come true!'

Botan, with the toddler-version of Koenma in her arms, spun in circles happily as she sighed dreamily and her eyes glazed over.

'Yes, well, you do know that by taking the role of Angel, you'd be cast there forever, don't you?' piped Koenma.

'Huh?' asked Botan, his question momentarily catching her by surprise.

Koenma fixed his hat promptly before going on; 'By taking the role of Angel, you'll be forced to stay in Heaven forever, never to see the lights of Ningenkai or Rekai again, where you'll be handling the free souls of the many people homed up there.'

Koenma almost fell to the floor, if he hadn't gripped onto the arms of his ferry assistant tightly.

'Never...?' she repeated, slightly dazed.

Koenma nodded, and leaped out of her arms. 'Yup!' he replied. 'But don't worry – there will be a whole month off before you start off your job, so you can use that time to think about it. In the meantime, I have one small, teeny-tiny little job to ask of you before your vacation starts...'

'Umm... all... right...?' replied Botan, albeit reluctantly. Koenma's idea of "teeny-tiny" would probably turn out to be something deep and drastic.

Koenma reached under his desk and came out with something shiny and metalic. 'Give this to Yusuke. Tell him to bring the others along with him – he'll know what to do.'

Botan stooped low in to a graceful bow, her right hand sweeping the air behind her and materialising her oar.

'Oh, and, Botan!' called out Koenma, just as she was about to take off into the sky. 'Don't worry too much about the job. I suggest you use your vacation period to say your good-byes to your friends in the Human World before you leave.'

* * *

'WHAT!' yelled Yusuke Urameshi, startling his 3-month-old daughter out of slumber and into a series of tears and screams due to the outburst. 'They can't be serious!'

'Yusuke, what happened?' asked Keiko, appearing from the kitchen and over to her baby's side just seconds after the baby started crying. 'Oh, now look what you've done! It took me ages to put her to sleep!'

Botan played with her fingers nervously, not expecting such a simple message to get the ex-Spirit Detective all worked up.

'Pacifier-breath thinks he can drag me out of my personal life and into his stinkin' business just because I used to work for him!' he yelled over the distressed cries of his daughter. 'Well tell him to go shove his stinkin' baby butt elsewhere and find himself a new Spirit Detective!'

Yusuke thrust the metal disk Koenma had given him back into Botan's hands.

'Yusuke!!' a hologram-version of the toddler Koenma appeared from the tiny hole located in the very middle of the disk yelled back. 'I demand you get your butt back here – as Prince and Second in Command of Rekai...'

'Blah, blah, blah!' shouted Yusuke, over-throwing the noise made by both Koenma and his crying child. 'I don't give a damn who you think you are! Its over – I'm not under your charge anymore! Can't you find another Detective to do your dirty work for you?'

Koenma's chubby cheeks turned deep red, even through the hologram. 'I would, but you're the best guy for the job!' he replied. 'No one we have has as much experience in this field!'

'What about your Spirit Force?' Yusuke snapped, testily.

'Not good enough!' answered the Prince of Hell. 'You and the rest of the Tantei are the only one's who can fix this. It won't take long if you get started right away.'

'What about _this_, huh?' snapped Yusuke, gesturing an outstretched arm towards his busy wife and weeping child. 'I have a family and a responsibility to it now, ya' big fat baby! I can't just leave them! If those demons are after power as you said, whats to say they won't attack my family and lure me with the bait? Who's gonna take care of them, huh?' he demanded.

'Simple,' replied Koenma, the colour fading from his cheeks. 'I'll have my people keep a force-field to protect them here in the Human World. And I'll leave Botan with them, too.'

'WHAT!' cried both Botan and Yusuke at once, causing the baby to go into a greater frenzy of tears.

'But, sir, what about my vacation?' exclaimed Botan, the same time Yusuke cried out, 'How can that help?'

Koenma cleared his throat, as though to settle all the argument. 'Botan's been promoted to Angel now, and I think this would be the perfect oppurtunity for her to test out and master her skills, so I'm sure she'll be more than capable to fend off any meddling demons that come close to your family,' he said, as a reply to Yusuke's question. 'And Botan, as for you, you did say you wanted to use this time for your friends? Well, what better way than to stay here with Keiko and the others and get well acquainted before you start?'

Yusuke opened his mouth to detest, but before he could even spit the words out of his mouth, Koenma said; 'Don't worry. It won't be long. You'll just be gone during the day. You can come home to your family everynight if you want', and was gone.

Yusuke whisked the disk to the floor, watching with twisted satisfaction as it shattered into a million pieces. 'Fine,' he muttered, angry that he had lost the war of words between Koenma and himself. He thrust his hands into his pockets and made for the door. 'I'll go get the others, then.'

'When will you be back?' asked Keiko as she cradled the crying baby in her arms.

Yusuke shrugged, and turned to his wife. 'In a bit, I guess,' he replied. 'Kurama and the others will probably be here to drop Shizuru and Yukina with you for safety.'

With that, the ex-Detective walked out the door, fuming about how, 'this had better be the last time' he go on a mission.

* * *

The ex-Tantei, Botan, and the girls were engaging in small talk as the waited for the prince of Rekai's arrival at a secluded section of the othewise boistrous, human-filled park.

Hiei sat against the trunk of his favourite tree, watching the others squirm uncomfortably from their positions on the ground beneath the bangs of his onyx hair. His crimson orbs lifted to the pale blue sky, and he secretly counted to ten – if the toddler didn't make it by his count, he'd be off.

Suddenly, a small eruption ceased all previous lingering small-talk. There, where a puff of hot, white smoke had popped out from the ground, stood Koenma, Prince of the Spirit World. Standing alongside him was a stranger that Hiei was unfamiliar to.

'Botan!' the stranger suddenly exclaimed, capturing her hand and brushing it with a chaste' kiss. 'Must we always meet during such dire circumstances? It is only through the mercy of Enma that I would have the oppurtunity to treat such a wonderful deity such as yourself with the pleasures in which you deserve. Perhaps some other time, I'm afraid, but that time is not the present.'

Hiei rolled his eyes upwards, no longer wishing to waste his time with such trivial matters. All he wanted was to get the mission over with so he could return to his nap.

The Prince of Rekai snapped his fingers, immediately halting the course of such small, unwanted matters. Clearing his throat, the prince said, 'As you all know, I have called upon you for a final, most pressing mission as the Rekai Tantei.'

'EX!' cried Yusuke, placing emphasis on the word.

Koenma gave him a stern look, but repeated his sentence nonetheless, 'EX-Tantei,' he corrected, with an obvious sign of authority. 'This here is an old friend of mine. He is one of our main benefactors from the Demon World, a direct-decendent of an old, prestigious family of demons.'

Hiei controlled the urge to growl deeply. '_A demon with contacts to the Spirit World is nothing but a traitor to his own blood,' _he thought, lips twisting in disgust as he focused his eyes on the gleam of his katana blade in attempt to look uncaring.

'You may call me Kakeshi,' the blonde stranger said, stepping up into the light for the first time.

Hiei studied the demon intently; realizing, for the first time, the aura of demonic essence that seemed to pulse around his very being. In his human form, he looked like nothing more than an arrogant pretty-boy, but Hiei could tell by the strong scent he was giving out, that this _Kakeshi _was not one to mess with.

Hiei grunted and quickly averted his eyes before the stranger caught him staring. _'Upper B class,' _he mused. _'Or lower A, to say the least.'_

The brooding koorime hated the fact that this _Kakeshi _guy was in his league. While the Detective, Yusuke, could easily surpass them both with his strong Spirit Shot-Gun and raging demon blood, he could say little for himself.

Looking down again, Hiei realized that the said Kakeshi was currently sweet-talking a red-faced ferry onna. She looked torn and unsure as her pink eyes darted from the giggling Keiko, to the mocking Shizuru, to the encouraging Yukina, and to the charming Kakeshi once more.

Hiei found himself caught with the bristling need to unsheath his katana – but held himself as he, for the first time in his life, was relieved to hear them being interrupted by a testy Koenma.

'Kakeshi has recently filed a report to Rekai a few days ago concerning a most worrying theft,' he explained. 'And its not just any theft. This one doesn't concern any jewels or gold or any material items whatsoever. According to the report and our own research, there is a group of powerful demons out their with the ability to seep the powers and life-forces of other spiritual or demonic beings.'

'What? Like a leech?' the oaf, Kuwabara, stated bluntly. 'Well, how are we gonna stop him if he's gonna steal all our power?'

Koenma grinned. 'And that, my friends,' he said. 'Is why I chose you to figure out this case.'

'_Leave it to the brat to dump all his problems into everyone elses' lives,' _thought Hiei gruffly.

Yusuke snorted. 'Fine,' he said, rather reluctantly. 'But my power still isn't enough. How d'you expect me to do anything about that?'

'I'll fix that in a moment... so if you'd just step into the portal...' said Koenma, making a few hand gestures and causing a bright, swirling light to pop up out of thin air. 'In the meantime, Botan will be in charge of taking care of the girls.'

Hiei's heart (if it was possible he even had any), suddenly came to an abrupt stop. Had he heard correctly? Had the toddler just said that the _baka onna _would be in charge of Yukina?

Hiei's wide eyes ran frantically to and fro, hoping someone else had caught on to the news and tried to correct him; nothing happened. Kurama, standing against the bark of his tree, looked calm and relaxed as he rubbed his thumb and forefinger with his lover, Shizuru's, own. Yusuke merely looked a bit peeved, but was otherwise undisturbed, and by the blunt look on Kuwabara's face, it was rather obvious that the oaf hadden't computed a single word said.

Finally, Hiei's desperate eyes settled on the ferry onna. Hiei was slightly satisfied that she, at least, had the oppacity to look worried. What unsettled him, however, was the fact that she was in charge of his sister – the one he had tried so hard to keep safe. Hiei doubted the onna even had the basic training to defend herself if the chance slipped.

Hiei wanted to voice his thoughts, but was halted before he could do anything more.

As everyone else took their time to slip in through the portal, Hiei seized the oppurtunity and quickly flitted over to the ferry woman standing unsurely below his tree.

Botan "Eeep'd" when she realized his sudden appearance in her face, and cautiously backed away as he got too close. 'Hiei?' she voiced, uncertainly.

'Baka ferry onna,' snapped Hiei, toneless and impolite as usual. 'What can you do against an attack?'

Botan played with a lock of stray hair – twisting it between her fingers nervously as she eyed the fire demon standing before her. 'Well, I've been promoted to Angel and...'

She could say nothing more as she was suddenly loudly interrupted by Koenma's calls for Hiei to "get his butt into the damn portal".

'Just make sure nothing harms Yukina, get it?' he spat. 'If anything happens to her...' Hiei unsheathed his beloved weapon of choice and pressed its blade threateningly, just inches away from Botan's neck. 'You're dead, onna.'

And with that, the short, dark koorime turned his back on her and strolled lazily into the portal. He vanished like the silent, brooding shadow he was; his deep, threatening voice still ringing in Botan's ear as she found herself suddenly unable to move.

* * *

_**I know what you all are thinking, 'Where's the stinking romance?? Didn't the summary say this will be humor? Where are the various men, damnit!' **_

_**Yeah, well, I'm so sorry. I really, REALLY wanted to add more of that into this chapter, but I realized it was far too long and had to end it like this. Sorry!**_

_**The good news, however, is that its finally getting to the plot (yes, I do have a plot, thank you very much!). **_

**_Anyways, so sorry once again. I promise you that the next chapter will involve the first 'man' hand-chosen by our beloved Keiko. Tee-hee! I, personally, can't wait to start on it._**

_**You just promise to keep the reviews coming. I'll do my side of the bargain. Deal?**_

_**REVIEW!!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Some of the characters might be a little OOC in this chapter, so be warned. Anyways, as promised, the first candidate of Mr Maybe is here, and hopefully, you'll be surprised at who I had chosen (insert maniacal cackle). And also, my attempt at humour betrays me.**

**Read, Enjoy, REVIEW!

* * *

**

**Mr Maybe**

_Chapter Five_

'_Finally!' _was the first thought that came to Botan's head as she dragged her worn legs into her apartment building and collapsed into the warm comfort of her luxurious three-seater. All her hours had been spent collecting her energy and focusing onto releasing it into building a protection shield. To say the least, the blue-haired ferry onna was now exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to relax her weary eyes and fall into slumber's deep embrace.

Unfortunately, however, her so-called _'friends' _were going to have none of that.

'You know what you need, Botan?' asked Shizuru Kuwabara as she plopped herself into one of Botan's comfortable couches. 'You need a life!'

The words, "tell me about it" were lingering upon her lips, but even now, well rested upon her sofa, the ferry woman could do nothing more than release a tired groan of annoyance.

Shizuru's soft chuckles were unmistakable. 'Here,' the brunette said, helpfully reaching into her backpack and brandishing a glossy teen magazine in Botan's face. 'It'll help.'

Bubblegum pink eyes widened as she scanned the contents of the magazine warily. 'Shizuru,' she muttered, whilst flipping absent-mindedly through the many bold-imprinted articles. 'I don't need this... and besides, I'm practically a century old, for goodness sake!'

Again, the brunette could not help but to release a chuckle. The look of utter mortification splattered across the pale, tired face of her good friend was, apparently, humourous. 'Exactly!' she exclaimed, taking a long, deep drag of her cigarette. 'A century old and you still can't find a man! You're so caught up in your work that you don't even have the time to appreciate the male species you almost everyday associate with – and, no, I'm not talking about Yusuke and the guys. They're taken.'

Botan quirked a brow. So _this _is what its all about, huh?

'Sorry, Shizuru,' proclaimed Botan sternly, shutting the magazine and placing it onto her coffee table. 'But I'm perfectly fine with the way I'm living now. I don't need any _man _to make me feel anymore complete than I all ready am.'

This, of course, was a lie. Botan knew it, Shizuru knew it, heck, even Yusuke would know it, and he was the epitome of clueless. So why exactly did she bother anyways? The question lingered, but the ferry girl pushed it aside. She had better things to worry about anyways... like taking care of the girls, for one. And her new job as appointed Angel. And the fact that her life had just been threatened by the infamous Hiei Jaganshi... yeah, that sort of stuff.

Shizuru stared at the ferry woman lying on the couch across from her – partly out of admiration, partly out of pity. 'Botan...' she decided to try a different method this time. 'When was the last time you actually got dressed up?'

Botan looked down at her clothes. Was a traditional kimono not considered appropriate attire?

The female Kuwabara rolled her eyes, as if reading the ferry girl's very thoughts. 'Not _that _sort of dressing up...' she sighed. 'The _other _one. You know; _dressing up_?'

Botan, of course, did know. She wasn't that blunt. It was obvious Shizuru meant for her to dress up prettily for a man. Botan just preffered to play dumb anyways. Hopefully, if she was lucky, Shizuru would just drop the subject all together.

... Apparently, luck was not on her side that day.

Shizuru decided to call in reinforcements – almost instantaneously, Keiko Urameshi and Yukina Kuwabara rushed to into the area. After listening to Botan's "predicament", they immediately sided with Shizuru and gushed on about how Botan should try a different assortment of clothes to grab a man's attention.

'Hey, guys, you know, I really appreciate the kind gesture, but I don't need a man in my life!' the ferry woman practically shouted as she was bombarded with various tips in the art if, as Shizuru chose to call it, "Man Fishing".

'You just need the right choice of words,' stated Shizuru.

'A man loves a girl with a nice personality and a strong upper-hand,' suggested Keiko, helfully.

'Just be yourself,' said Yukina with a wide, dazzling smile of encouragement.

Botan returned her smile with a pretty, albeit weaker, one of her own. 'O-okay...' she finally agreed, surrendering to their whim. 'I'll... try to remember everything you taught me... the... next time I meet a man...'

'Next time?' repeated Shizuru, almost unbelievably. 'Botan-chan, after everything we taught you, there's no way ANY man would be able to resist your charm. We should put your ability to the test straight away!'

'Yeah!' agreed Keiko, enthusiastically bobbing her head up and and down, her caramel eyes brimming with mirth and excitement. 'We can start tomorrow!'

'T-tomorrow?' croaked Botan, her thin eyebrows threatening to rise straight off her forehead. 'Don't you think that's a little too... _sudden?' _

'Nonsense!' cried Shizuru, with a careless wave of her hand. 'The sooner the better! And don't you worry, Botan-chan, I have the _perfect _man for you!'

Botan's pink eyes widened in a most comedic fashion. She suddenly felt light-headed; it was as if somebody had knocked the wind right out of her. Dizzy, breathless, airy and undeniably weak, the ferry woman's pink eyes rolled upwards to the back of her skull.

... She had feinted on the spot.

Botan's three female friends looked at her warily; Yukina with a gasp hidden beneath her clasped hands.

'D-do you think she'll be okay?' asked the koorime timidly; worry painting her every feature.

Shizuru shrugged. 'The excitement must be getting to her.'

* * *

'Hiei, are you all right?' asked the fox, Kurama, as he glanced at the unsettled-looking koorime from over his left shoulder.

Now, Kurama wasn't usually this open. He didn't usually ask Hiei questions so bluntly. He knew, for a fact, that Hiei loved to keep his secrets, well... secret. It was foolish, and pretty much suicide for the average man to go around bugging into Hiei Jaganshi's business. But Kurama knew he had to make an exception, at least just this once. Something was wrong with Hiei Jaganshi. His aura practically spelled worry. And another thing: he was twitching. Uncontrollably. Hiei Jaganshi's do NOT twitch. Something was definitely wrong.

'Hn.'

Kurama sighed. He should have known better, of course, that Hiei's obvious reply would be his usual monotonious one-syllable word. Nothing had changed. Maybe he was fine...

'Its about the ferry onna.'

...maybe not?

Beneath the bangs of his velvet-smooth red hair, Kurama's emerald eyes widened, his ears, too, had pricked up in interest. A woman? And Botan, no less? This should be most amusing.

'What about her?' he tried to sound natural. Calm. Smooth. To bad he couldn't seem to get the damn snickering under control.

Hiei's crimson eyes narrowed threateningly at the fox. 'Shut _up, _Kitsune, if you know whats good for you,' he snapped murderously, before realizing how foolish he must have sounded and returning to his usual façade. 'Its Yukina. I don't... trust the ferry onna would be of much use defending herself against a demon attack.'

Kurama's mouth opened in the shape of a perfect, "O", before her clicked his lips shut once more and brought himself down to reality. _So its nothing like **that. **_In a way, the fox was rather relieved to know that Hiei was still Hiei, but in another way, the part of him that cared for his friend's best interest, was a little dissapointed. Hiei was such a gloomy fire-demon. It wouldn't kill him to get at least _some _sort of a love-life.

'Don't worry, Hiei,' stated Kurama smartly. 'I'm sure Botan will do fine.'

And that was that.

* * *

'Botan, come _on! _Show us how you look!'

'NO!' replied Botan, sternly, her fair cheeks flushed pink with embarassment.

'Botan-chan...' came Yukina's sweeter, less persuasive voice. 'Please show us? I'm very sure that it looks lovely on you.'

Sigh. _Why _does she have to be such a sucker to polite pleads? Why couldn't she have been born a moody, temperamental stick-in-the-mud like Hiei?

With another deep sigh, the ferry girl sucked in whatever courage she had left in her, and stepped out from the cold, linoleum tiles of her bathroom, and into the warm, flush carpets of her master bedroom.

Botan was dressed in a short baby-blue dress that fell a little above her knees. The dress was light and airy, and the ferry girl felt extremely unconfortable without the thick folds of her usual traditional attire and the long sleeves that normally sealed her long, cream-coloured arms. Her white slippers and socks had been replaced for one of Keiko's strappy heels, and her sky-blue hair was tied in a fashionable bun behind her head.

Shizuru made a low wolf-whistle, Keiko clasped her hands (proud of her work, no doubt), and Yukina smiled encouragingly, feeling happiness for her friend.

'Is it... okay?' asked Botan unsurely, as she fingered with a lose thread of the newly-bought sundress.

After hours and hours of digging through the women's section of one of the most exquisite fashion outlets in the area, Botan sure hoped it was okay. She wasn't so keen on returning to the store – for the third time! – to exchange it for another dress. And besides, the date was told to arrive in about an hour, so she didn't have much time anyways.

'You look GREAT!' affirmed Shizuru proudly, just as Keiko went, 'Fantastic!', admirably, and Yukina said, 'Wonderful', truthfully.

Botan's cheeks flushed prettily before she was shifted onto a seat and her face was attacked by a variety of makeup accessories. Keiko proclaimed that she would handle the lips while Yukina helped with the nails. Shizuru supervised with the cigar still rolling in between her lips. They had decided to leave the blush, since Botan reddened so often anyways.

At about 5.10pm, all three girls were happily skipping towards the door, to invite the first, according to Shizuru, "Mr. Maybe", inside. Botan, of course, stood three feet behind, feeling terribly out of place and wishing she had just eaten her words.

'Go!' hissed Keiko, giving Botan a gentle push towards the door.

The ferry girl gulped, nervously reaching for an invisible collar to pull on. Her hand tasted the cool surface of her bronze doorknob, and reluctantly, with a last peek over her shoulder in the direction of her excited companions, Botan turned the handle.

_**TOUYA?!

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**_

**A/N: Am I good or am I good? Or, maybe... not so good... I don't know. Anways, as promised, a longer chapter, and, as promised, Botan's first male candidate. I know Shizuru was a little (okay, VERY) out of character, but the story insisted I made one of the girls a tad... pushy. After all, who else was stronger than Shizuru? At first I wanted to make it Keiko, but she was much too... nice. But, to relate it to the summary, lets just say it was Keiko's idea, okay?**

**Aaah, whatever. Review. Tell me what you think. If I don't get enough reviews than I will be tempted to delete this entire 5-page chapter (and you won't be seeing a new one for another 3 months, give or take).**

**Review or ELSE!!**


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